


The Perplexing Disappearance of Mara Fazal

by steelrunner



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Buzzfeed Unsolved Fusion, Buzzfeed Unsolved True Crime, Canon-Typical Violence, Conspiracy Theories, F/F, F/M, Gen, Modern Retelling, Shippy Gen, YouTube, re: the usual Buzzfeed Unsolved theory material
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22126198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steelrunner/pseuds/steelrunner
Summary: “This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved we discuss the mysterious disappearance of Mara Fazal, a case that has frustrated investigators for over forty years with its lack of leads - or rather, for havingtoomany leads.”
Relationships: Entrapta & Hordak (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Light Hope/Mara (She-Ra)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 103





	The Perplexing Disappearance of Mara Fazal

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Puzzling Disappearance of Peter Quill](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15315417) by [Origamidragons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Origamidragons/pseuds/Origamidragons). 



> I'll happily admit this was inspired by origamidragons' multifandom series "Buzzfeed Unsolved: Fiction Edition," the first 'episode' of which is linked above. I encourage you to go check it out!

A flickering lightbulb swings down into darkness, illuminating an eerie laboratory filled with medical textbooks and shattered glassware. The word _UNSOLVED_ fades in from the shadows, typed in an ominous, blood-red font. A smaller name fades in below it: _Mara Fazal_.

A women’s voice appears over the intro card, slightly nasal and very excited. “This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved we discuss the mysterious disappearance of Mara Fazal, a case that has frustrated investigators for over forty years with its lack of leads - or rather, for having _too_ many leads.”

The scene cuts to a small office, cluttered with books, charts, and a hanging skeleton dressed in some sort of medieval armor. Front and center is an equally cluttered desk, where two extremely peculiar people are sitting side by side facing the camera.

“‘Too many leads,’” Hordak says slowly. “So, should I expect lots of clues and theories? No terrible explanations blaming cryptids?”

“You’ll see when we get there!” Entrapta says, spinning back and forth in her wheeled chair. “Oh, I can’t believe this is finally happening - I have been waiting _forever_ to do this case.”

“One of your favorites, then?”

“One of my _very_ favorites.” Entrapta spins back around the face the camera fully. “Anyway, I am your host Entrapta, and this is Hordak, our - ”

“Voice of reason?” Hordak suggests. “Fellow scientist? Hostage?”

“ - resident skeptic! Anyway, let’s get into the case.”

The camera cuts away from the office, into blackness. Entrapta continues narrating as a series of images fade in and out: a city map, the front of a large university building, a young South Asian woman with a shy smile and thick dark hair gathered in a ponytail. “On September 9, 1985, in the city of Despondos, twenty-four year-old college student Mara Fazal was returning home from her classes for the day. She had told her family that she would be back by five, after she stopped by a friend’s apartment to return some books. However, when Mara hadn’t returned by seven that evening, her family reached out to the friend in question, who said that Mara had never come by, and - as far as she remembered - had never had plans to do so.”

_and let me guess…she was never seen again?_

_shhh, I’m getting to that!_

“Once the police were called to report her disappearance, they quickly determined that the last confirmed sighting of Mara had been at noon that day on campus. According to a university secretary, Mara visited her advisor at that time, Dr. Lucia Hope of the physics department.” A shadowed photo of a woman appeared onscreen. “When interviewed, Dr. Hope stated that, ‘It was a routine meeting…we discussed her ongoing classes and her plans for next semester. Nothing more, nothing less.’However - “

_however?_

_there’s always a however!_

“ - other university employees reported seeing Mara leaving Dr. Hope’s office looking ‘distraught.’ At the time, Mara, who was considered a star student by her peers, had also been employed by Dr. Hope as a research assistant. Reportedly the two often spent weekends at a research station in the nearby Crystal Castle Forest Reserve, where they studied the interaction of electromagnetic hypersensitivity and the natural world.”

_the interaction of what and what?_

_‘electromagnetic hypersensitivity and the natural world’_

_that - that does not sound like a real science_

_that is…technically a true statement, yes_

“As part of the investigation, police searched the research station for any evidence related to Mara’s disappearance. It was then that they uncovered the last trace of Mara’s presence: a cassette tape with recorded observations from Mara on it, dated from the day she disappeared - _and_ with timestamps that indicated Mara was present at the station from three in the afternoon until _eleven at night_.”

_what was on the tape?_

_well -_

_no. don’t say it._

_\- unfortunately the full transcript of the tape was never released_

Back in the office, Hordak groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “How is it that almost all of these cases end up missing the most important details?”

“I know, right?” Entrapta says. “Law enforcement never appreciates the allure of a well-rounded mystery. However, we are not totally evidence-blocked - ”

“Please _never say that again -_ ”

“Because we do have a _partial_ transcript of the tape.”

A long quote slowly faded in on the screen, and Entrapta continued to speak in voiceover. “The nature of the recording suggests that Mara was observing a series of unknown experiments, although she never describes exactly what kind of experiment she might have been performing, and there was no evidence that lab equipment had been disturbed since Mara and Dr. Hope’s last official visit. The transcript notes indicate that Mara’s voice grew increasingly more frantic over the course of the tape. Around 10:00 p.m. Mara recorded an audio note that stated, ’My hypothesis was correct. The reprogramming… it was too thorough. I have to try and fix it.’ And then in her final recording, just before eleven, she said, ‘The heart is growing too strong. I have to shut it down.’”

_that is…quite interesting._

_just wait, it gets better_

“After uncovering evidence at the research station, the police began to to search the reserve for Mara. In the process, they came across a potential witness named Regina Razz, a seventy-one year-old woman who lived alone on family property at the edge of the forest. Razz claimed that she had known and spoken to Mara on several occasions when they had crossed paths in the forest. She described Mara as ‘a bright, wonderful young woman’ who was also ‘very troubled’ by the implications of the research she was performing with Dr. Hope. Regina further claimed that Mara suspected the experiments they were performing could have long-term effects on themselves and the surrounding environment, and had questioned Dr. Hope’s motivations because their research was being funded by a large grant from an unknown benefactor.”

_I notice that you’re using the word ‘claimed’ a lot here…_

“…Razz continued her statement to the police by suggesting that Dr. Hope’s experiments had ‘thinned the walls between the worlds’ and that Mara may have vanished into an ‘inter-dimensional rift.’”

_ah_

_exactly_

_you sound surprisingly skeptical for someone who actually believes in alternate universes. unless you’ve finally come to your senses - ?_

_ha! not a chance. I’m just sliiiiightly more inclined to believe statements about alternate universes from university-backed scientists, not -_

_potentially senile senior citizens?_

_i was going to say ‘amateurs’_

“Despite that, it’s possible that Razz was the last person to see Mara. On the day of her disappearance, Mara apparently visited Razz sometime in the early afternoon to tell her that Dr. Hope had apparently grown suspicious and threatened Mara’s position on the project and in the science department. When Razz asked her to stay and not go to the research station, Mara declined, saying that she needed to ‘finish what she started.’ In Razz’s opinion, Dr. Hope ‘must have done something to Mara to keep her quiet, because nothing else would have kept her from sharing the truth.’”

“Now, this suspicion might not have gone any further, if evidence hadn’t also come to light that Mara and Dr. Hope were in a relationship.”

_huh!_

_you’re surprised?_

_somewhat. i mean, speaking from experience, romance is the last thing on most grad students’ minds_

_oh, i don’t know…laboratories can be incredibly exciting and inspiring places. speaking from experience._

_ahem._

_oooh, someone’s flustered!_

_can we go back to the murder now, please?_

_was it a murder? that’s a bit of a jump, considering we haven’t even found a body yet_

_you tell me - you’re the one with all the case files_

“When interviewed by police, a few of Mara’s friends stated that Mara had confessed to starting a relationship with her advisor - something that was automatically suspicious due to Dr. Hope’s silence and the nature of their professional relationship, though by all accounts the relationship was consensual on both sides. When requestioned, Dr. Hope admitted to being romantically involved with Mara, saying that she had lied about it to preserve both her and Mara’s reputations.”

_(sigh) the 80s?_

_the 80s._

“In Dr. Hope’s new account, she said she had broken off her relationship with Mara that day, claiming that she decided to do so to protect both of them. While she confirmed that Mara had been upset over it, she didn’t think it was anything serious and that ‘she would get over it quickly enough, at her age.’”

_that’s a rather cold thing to say, isn’t it?_

_yeah! especially after talking about wanting to protect her and all that_

“While the police never found enough evidence to register charges against Dr. Hope, she resigned from the university in December of that year and subsequently moved away, dropping contact with most of the people she knew in Despondos. Mara’s body, or any other evidence related to her disappearance, was never found.

“Now that we’ve looked at all the evidence, let’s look at the theories.”

A riff of eerie music played as the words THEORY #1 appeared in red. “The first theory is that Mara’s disappearance might have been precipitated by a mental breakdown, which could have led to an accidental death, or potentially even suicide. While the full contents of Mara’s tape were never released, one unauthorized source within the police department described its contents as being both ’bizarre and irrational,’ and went on to say that ‘she [Mara] was clearly not all there in the head.’ That combined with the lack of any other physical disturbance at the research station suggests that Mara might have been experiencing some sort of hallucinations, and possibly paranoia based on her comments to Razz.”

The camera switches over to the office, where Hordak is nodding thoughtfully. “That does sound like a realistic set of circumstances - awful as it is.”

“Oh yeah,” Entrapta says. She gestures to the scattered papers on the desk in front of her. “That was the version police originally went with, in the end. Plus the whole breakup thing might have been a breakthrough moment - I bet it wasn’t easy for her, having to keep a relationship like that secret.”

“Of course,” Hordak says. “But still, it doesn't seem like there's much to suggest that Mara was unstable to such a degree. You said there were many other theories - what sort of things did they suggest?”

“The second theory - ” Entrapta collects her myriad papers, tapping them excitedly on the desk, “ - is aliens.”

Hordak pushes his chair back and stands up. The camera swivels to follow him as he walks offscreen, off of the brightly lit set and into the dimmer studio around it. Entrapta’s voice calls after him. “Wait! Come back! _I have evidence!_ ”

* * *

The camera feed cuts to nothing, letting silent blackness fill the screen for three full seconds. Then, with a retro-style flicker, it comes back to life, refocusing on the office set. Entrapta is still in her seat, albeit looking a little more disheveled. Hordak is back in his chair, apparently tied to it by several feather boas.

“Now it might be more appropriate to call you a hostage,” Entrapta says, shrugging like she’s conceding a point. Hordak just stares at her, deadpan. “What, you’re not going to try and escape or blink SOS to our viewers or anything?”

“I know the camera crew’s all on your side,” Hordak says. “As long as you keep your end of the bargain and let me out of this - _getup_ once you’re done with your ridiculous theory, I will not attempt to remove your eyes with a spoon.”

“How very specific,” Entrapta says cheerfully. “Anyway, aliens!”

The image of a stereotypical UFO appeared on the screen, followed by one of a group of people standing outside a police station“Just using the term aliens might be underselling the reputation that Mara Fazal’s case gathered. The case came to the attention of several groups of UFO followers and conspiracy theorists, and it quickly gained notoriety among them, with different groups attributing the cause of Mara’s disappearance to suspicious and paranormal elements alike. Of course, alien abduction was considered a popular explanation.”

The camera switches back to the office. “No,” Hordak says flatly. “I don’t have to mount a serious argument about this, do I? It’s ridiculous.”

“I mean, I’d be fascinated to see you try.”

“Well, first of all,” Hordak says in a heated tone while Entrapta settles back in her seat, “there’s nothing to suggest _aliens_ at all as a specific cause, let alone any sort of supernatural phenomena. At least the more plausible cases of alien abduction have some sort of consistent traits - lights in the sky, unidentified aircraft, multiple witnesses - but there’s no evidence one way or another.” He shoots a look at Entrapta. “And out-of-context mutterings on a partial transcript do _not_ count.”

Entrapta nods. “That’s a very valid observation! Actually, I agree with you on the unlikelihood of alien involvement in this case. An absence of disproving evidence is not the same as positive confirmation.” She grins, propping her chin up on her hands. “Does that mean you admit there are some alien abduction cases that _are_ plausible?”

Hordak makes a face, hiking up his shoulders against his feathery chains as he did. “Please take these off, I can’t gesticulate properly like this.”

Entrapta rolled her eyes playfully. “If you _insist_ …”

The words THEORY #3 appeared on the screen, and Entrapta’s voiceover returned. “Theory #3 is also related to these conspiracy theories. Based on Mara’s statements before her disappearance and the fact that the project she and Dr. Hope had worked on was never released, it’s been suggested that the mysterious benefactors behind the project might be connected to Mara vanishing.”

_how’s that for a plausible conspiracy theory?_

_hmm. well, it’s certainly more realistic…_

“In addition to this evidence, federal records partially declassified in the the past year have revealed some sort of government operation called Project Greyskull was active in the area around Despondos from 1981 to 1986. Is it possible that this operation had something to do with Mara and Dr. Hope’s research?”

Now, this one is _my_ favorite theory,” Entrapta continues, tapping a very emphatic finger onto the manila folder in front of her. “The government has a long history of sponsoring questionable or unethical experiments, which correlates with the concerns that Mara voiced to Razz. Since the true nature of their project was never revealed, it’s impossible to know if the project and its experiments could have caused Mara’s death. But if she witnessed an experiment gone wrong or threatened to reveal it to the public, there’s a much greater chance that her disappearance was orchestrated by someone associated with the project!”

Hordak shrugs, tilting his head in thought. “That’s… _better_ than aliens. But I ultimately don’t think it’s possible.”

“Why not?”

“All the leads are dead ends, and there were no definite accusations of foul play from family or friends; it attracted attention from the public, but only those groups who can be safely written off as crackpots. Even now, forty years later, there’s never been any evidence that’s resurfaced, right?” Entrapta nods. “If this is a case of someone being ‘disappeared’ by the government, then it’s the perfect crime.” Hordak grins, exposing sharp canines. “And I can state with perfect honesty that there is no way any federal agent or agency is competent enough to pull that off.”

Entrapta cackles loudly. “Ha! Now, for the sake of full disclosure, there’s also Theory #4 - “

“If it’s some paranormal nonsense again, I _swear -_ ”

“It is not!” Entrapta protests, rolling her eyes. “Theory #4 is Dr. Hope - that she did something to Mara as some sort of personal revenge, not part of a government conspiracy. This one is considered something of a fringe theory, since the police never seriously approached Dr. Hope as a suspect. However the nature of their relationship - being kept in secret, the mentor/mentee aspect, et cetera et cetera - did make this a subject of gossip in some circles.”

“Oh.”

“‘Oh?’ What, that doesn’t interest you at all?”

“Well, after all the conspiracies, it does seem a little underwhelming,” Hordak says. “Dare I say, this show has made me a touch jaded about the nature of ordinary crime. Is it really a felony if it didn’t involve a parachute, a pair of sunglasses, and $200,000?”

Entrapta snickers. “It could have been a dramatic crime of passion?”

“Maybe…but where’s the motive? If Dr. Hope is the one that initiated the break-up, that wouldn’t make much sense at all.”

“True. But as we know, the machinations of the human mind and its emotions are extremely bizarre.”

Hordak nods in utmost agreement. Entrapta turns to face the camera, grinning with an impish delight. “What happened to Mara Fazal? What drove her to vanish into the forest? Did she make contact with forces from beyond our world? Who, if anyone, was responsible for her disappearance? We can only hope that one day these questions will be answered. Until then, this mystery will remain…unsolved.”

**Author's Note:**

> The show's fans who are true believers refer to themselves as 'Entrapta's Minions.' Hordak's fans originally called themselves 'Hormongers,' though they eventually retitled themselves as 'Hordak's Horde' after he begged them to use literally any other name.


End file.
